The story was about an Assembly bill that would authorize construction of the canal.

“Delta interests have bitterly opposed the $3.5 million measure because of what they consider inadequate guarantees of fresh water flows through the Delta once the canal is completed.”

The story goes on to say that the cost of the total project was $3.5 billion in 1977 dollars and calculated at $7.1 billion when considering inflation over the next two decades. The cost of the California Water Fix, the most recent version of Southern California’s attempt to get more water from Northern California, is about $17 billion.

Not funny and undoubtedly sexist

There was the headline: Woman Acting Governor Vetoes Anti-ERA Move. The story was referring to Kentucky Lt. Gov. Thelma Stovall, who had vetoed a resolution rescinding Kentucky’s ratification of the proposed Equal Rights Amendment. Stovall was filling in for Kentucky Gov. Julian Carroll, who was vacationing in South Carolina.

There were no headlines stating: Man Acting Governor.

Cringeworthy

Understandably, the area was on edge during this time. A March 19, 1978, story in the paper, then known as the Stockton Record, described a rape victim as “an attractive woman in her 20s.”

Ugh.

It hurts just to read it, implications and all.

International news

The Sept. 8, 1977, story out of Nairobi, Kenya: Amin “in coma” After Surgery.

Uganda President Idi Amin, a violent dictator, was in a coma after surgery for an undisclosed ailment.

When asked the reason for the surgery, a confidant of Amin told The Associated Press: “We don’t exactly know. But he’s in a coma. We believe he’ll pull out of it.”

Amin recovered. And would remain in power in Uganda until April 11, 1979, when he was ousted and exiled. An estimated 300,000 civilians were massacred during his rule. I wouldn’t necessarily wish anything bad on anyone. However, you have to figure Amin is in a special place with people such as Pol Pot and Saddam Hussein.

Amin died Aug. 16, 2003.

The takeaway from all of this is that newspapers serve as a reflection of a community at that point in time. Decades from now, someone will look back at today’s Record and wonder why an editor spent time writing about newspapers from 40 years ago. Maybe I’ll even be around to explain.

Community call-outs:

Community engagement has become a priority of mine this past year. I have two groups for which I am seeking participants.

I held a roundtable discussion with readers who are politically conservative. I listened to them, and sat down with others for lunch and coffee later, too. Now I am looking to do the same with readers who are politically moderate or liberal. I have a few lined up but need about four more.

I also am looking to add members for a Reader Advisory Committee. This is a diverse group of readers who gather periodically to provide feedback of The Record and discuss a wide range of issues.

If you are interested in either group, email me at the address below. Write Roundtable or Committee in the subject line of the email to indicate which group you are interested in.

Contact Editor Donald W. Blount at (209) 546-8251 or dblount@recordnet.com. Follow him at recordnet.com/editorblog and on Twitter @donblount.

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